Forbidden Magic

xxMedusaxx

Chapter 2 – The Meeting


When Merlin awoke the next morning, Crystal wasn't in her bed. Merlin nearly fell out of his bed in shock.

"Gaius! Where's Crystal?" Merlin called. But no one answered.

"Gaius?" Merlin asked, only to find out that he was completely alone. Merlin glanced around the room, and then assessed the daylight to see what time it was. Merlin groaned… he was late again; he'd have to look for Crystal later.

--

Arthur wasn't in his room like he usually was; in fact no one seemed to be around, Merlin found almost everyone in the main hall. In the middle of the crowd were Crystal and Gaius facing a very angry King Uther, and a for once silent Arthur. Crystal was biting her lip and Gaius was obviously searching for an answer.

"Uh… that came out wrong." Crystal whispered.

"There you are! I'm sorry your majesty, she's a little dim witted." Merlin cried, pushing through the crowd to reach them. Crystal was giving him the most evil look she could muster sending shivers down Merlin's neck.

"I'm starting to think anyone that comes from your village is dim witted." King Uther shot back, everyone in the hall broke out in polite laughter.

"I can make use of her Father." Arthur suddenly piped up.

"What for?" Uther asked. Arthur paused and turned red, apparently he hadn't thought of something he could use her for.

"Ah, I see, you merely find her attractive." Uther bellowed, Merlin did not find that comical, though everyone else was laughing, Arthur turned a deeper shade of red, and Crystal's eye was twitching.

"No!" Arthur scoffed, "She is merely entertaining."

"Fine then, you may find a use for her." Uther declared waving his hand at her.

"Thank you!" Crystal cried, curtsying to him.

"Just watch your tongue girl, another comment like that will have you banished, or beheaded."

"Yes Sir!" She cried saluting him with two fingers, he stared at her confused.

"Uh that was a sign of respect…. I'm going to leave now." Crystal tried to explain, but ended up turning and running away, with Merlin and Arthur following. Merlin could now see that Gaius had brought her clothes, he had put her in a blue frock and had forced her to put her hair up in a formal bun, something a peasant girl would wear, he had also smudged her with mud.

"What did you say to him?" Merlin asked once they were away from the great hall, completely ignoring Arthur's presence.

"I merely wondered how someone such as him could wipe out most of the magical world, though I was quite unaware that I said it out loud, honestly I thought I was merely thinking it." Crystal responded. Merlin looked at her in horror.

"How could you have thought you were merely thinking it?"

"I am tired, I can't think straight when I'm tired." Crystal snarled back. She was staring Merlin in the eye and had inched closer just as he had in the heat of the argument, they were now nose to nose, and Merlin found this slightly uncomfortable.

"Are you two just going to stand there staring at each other or are you eventually going to remember that you're supposed to be heading towards my room." Arthur interrupted. Crystal turned to look at him one eyebrow cocked up.

"Talk about bossy." She snarled, but none-the-less she turned around following Merlin up the stairs that would lead to Arthur's room. Arthur was content with following her.

"You might not realize this, but I can see you look at my ass, and if you don't stop in the next five seconds you will discover just how flexible I really am." Crystal snarled. Merlin rounded on her.

"You won't be showing him anything!" Merlin demanded.

"It's alright Merlin," Arthur replied, turning Crystal around to look him in the eye, "The only place I wish you to prove your flexibility is in my bed, but if you'd like to try and spar with me, I will do my best to make sure that I don't actually harm you. Either way you don't stand much of a chance." Merlin hung his head, this was not going to end well.

"Oh, that's sweet but I won't be going easy on you." She snarled. Arthur's smirk only half faded when she managed to land the first blow.

--

It took her five minutes to knock Arthur to the ground and get him to surrender, and then the next five minutes were Arthur's utter demand for secrecy about his loss to a girl.

"Where did you even manage to move like that?" Arthur asked, now that he was in the safety of his room.

"Raiders." Crystal responded without thinking.

"You deal with raiders a lot?" Arthur asked.

"Since my parents died, I've traveled a lot, I've dealt with things, I taught myself how to stay alive." Crystal replied. Merlin thought this over, she was good at lying, but it sort of sounded like there was some truth to that.

"Could you teach me some of those moves?" Arthur asked.

"Probably." Crystal responded.

"Good then we know what your job will be from now on." Arthur smiled. "Merlin clean this tunic for me I want to wear it tonight." He snarled throwing the smelly and stained garment at Merlin.

"Look at those stains! Those will never come off!" Crystal cried as Merlin left to do as he was bid.

"I know I just want him to leave. To get to know you better." Arthur replied, sliding up close to her.

"I'll beat you up again, and this time I will leave marks on your face!" Crystal warned. Arthur laughed at this but moved closer, dying to learn more about her.

--

When all chores were done, and Merlin had finally pried Crystal out of Arthur's grasp, the two were finally left to eat. Merlin had a book on Slayers out as he ate, though he wasn't paying much attention to it he was instead staring at Merlin with a stern glare.

"I take it you had a grand time with Prince Arthur today." Merlin snarled sarcastically as he picked at his crust of bread.

"Yea I suppose, I enjoyed the Lady Morgana more and I think that upset him." Crystal explained.

"Did you sense anything strange around the castle?" Merlin asked.

"Just a few scrying portals but I can close those." Crystal replied offhandedly, enjoying her cup of broth immensely. Where as Merlin nearly chocked on his.

"WHAT?!" He managed to sputter out.

"Scrying portals, some one is trying and succeeding to spy on the castle." Crystal explained.

"It must be Nimeuh! We've got to do something!" Merlin cried.

"And I will. Tomorrow." Crystal replied, taking a bite of her bread. Merlin gave her a dry look.

"What? The only way to shut them down is to put my hand through it. Would you honesty like me to do that to every single one of them, right this very second?" She asked.

"Yes." Merlin cried. Crystal stood up and walked over to him. In a flash her hand plunged into an unseen portal and disappeared. Merlin could see her bright blue eyes again.

"Sorry sweet heart, but this connection has been terminated." She snarled and with a super high pop her hand reappeared.

"There. There's one done. Only twenty or so more." Crystal snarled. Merlin paused.

"Was she watching us?" Merlin asked.

"Well considering that only works with an open portal I think it's safe to say that she was watching us." Crystal snarled to him.

"Aren't you afraid?" Merlin asked. Crystal stared at him.

"No, but I think now she knows that she's dealing with a witch of her caliber." Crystal replied.

"And that's a good thing?" Merlin asked.

"Sure, now she'll be shaking like a leaf."

--

Nimeuh stood watching the now calm waters of her bowl. Second ago a hand had burst through, and a ball of light took the vision away from her. Now try as she might she could not get her water to scry into Gaius' hut. Nimeuh bit her lip, she had been worried when Merlin got it in his head to call a slayer, but had plenty of doubt that it would work. Then when one showed up she was glad to see just how puny the opposition was. Now it was a bit to evident the powers this child had, that slayer could be her downfall. Nimeuh quickly hurried away determined to find some way to stop the slayer before he plans fully took off.


Here we go the second chapter, not as long as the first, but it moves the plot along… personally I think I could have done better.

I don't know when I'll update next, I got this awesome new program that turns a photograph into a cross stitching pattern that I can then make…. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?! I also take requests, so if you have a picture you want stitched, I can do it for you, and it'll cost money though…. Pretty reasonable pricing if I say so myself. I'll try to update soon though I promise.